Reverse
by whenthestarsfall
Summary: What if there was a way to change everything? What if someone had given you the chance to start from the very start and fix and redo things.. would you take it?


**Hello, please read this. So, here's another story – surprise, surprise! Anyway, this is merely a story to keep you readers… hmm… satisfied; distracted; amused? All three? Anyway, I'm still writing up the next chapter for "How, Ironic" But I'm completely brain locked for the next idea of "The Art of Surviving" I've written down the plot, I know the ending, however it's **_**getting**_** to the ending is difficult. Getting to the "twist" is the part where I'm still a bit "effie" on, so forgive me. Apologies!**

_**Gale?**__ Gale? Was it your bomb?__** Gale was it your bomb? **__Gale?__** Gale was it your bomb!**__ Gale my sister just died… __**Gale!**__ Was it your bomb- Was it…?_

I open my eyes quickly and jerk awake, Katniss' voice still lingering in my brain; taunting me. Haunting me. _Was it_ my bomb? Am _I _the reason Prim is dead? Surely I would never have the potential to kill her. _Yes but that didn't stop you from killing all those innocent people like Prim, did it?_ It was all Coin – she used it against me… she- she- _You made it, Gale! You made the bomb! You killed Katniss' sister! You are the reason she's dead! You're the reason Katniss and you are not friends! She hates you!_ No! No! No! I scream out loud and throw a pillow in frustration. No! I – I … there's no proof I did! Maybe… just maybe… it wasn't my bomb, no one knows if it was…

I keep repeating this inside my brain as I close my eyes once more; to fall asleep into what? Nightmares again? _I hate falling asleep._ I think. But there's no other choice and I fall asleep, yet again, reminding myself, convincing **myself** that it wasn't my bomb.

And for the first time ever, I think to myself, _is this what I am going to be like in 20 years time? In forever? _Am I going to be repeating myself over and over again that it wasn't my bomb? Are my nightmares going to be the same? Will I still be blaming myself for Prim's death? If it is, then I've gone mad. I'm completely insane.

_Will I ever find love?_

I quickly close my eyes and let the darkness overcome me before my brain thinks of a familiar blonde girl who I failed to save.

_Is it morning already? _I think as the light hits my closed eyes, even with my eyes closed I can still sense light somewhere. _I hate the light._

I turn over to my right to see my clock, stating it's still only 4am. Why the bloody hell is it so bright in here? My eyes still squinted; I look over in the centre where the light source was coming from. Expecting to see what though? My brain hasn't yet thought of a practical theory to explain why it was so bright in 4 am in the morning. It was not until my eyes finally focused and saw a figure and I jumped up in fright.

"Who are you?" I ask, this could be an intruder; but why were they so bright?

"Let's not talk about this right now…" the person said; it had a very perky voice, very high, sophisticated; feminine. This was a girl.

"Actually yes, we should. Or else, get out of my house" I told her.

Even though I couldn't quite make out her face, I knew she rolled her eyes.

"Gale, believe it or not. I know everything about you." She said. _She's lying_. I think. "Yeah, okay, how about you go now?" I grunt at her. _I'm obviously dreaming_. "I'm trying to help you here, Gale…" she explains.

There is a stranger in my room, claiming she can help me. What the – "I'm not a stranger."

"You can read my mind?" I ask her, "Obviously, Gale." I shrug in defeat "That's like – against the laws of privacy or…"

"Shut up – are you going to let me explain? This could help you or break you." The unknown girl says.

"Its 4am in the morning. I have a feel I'm hallucinating." I ignore what she said last "How?"

Obviously she does this as a hobby, entering random male houses without invitation if she thinks its _normal_ enough for the people to believe that it's happening.

Next thing you know, she's going to tell me that the only way it will work if I give her all the money I have. "You've forgotten that I can read your mind…" she tells me in a voice so familiar.

"Well, I know you're not going to leave, so what do you want?" I sigh "How did you even get inside my house?" I ask her "And can you tone down your lighting please? Unless you want me to blind after you 'help' me."

"I'll tell you about me afterwards, and sorry, I was only doing that to get your attention." She explains as the lighting goes normal and I turn on the lamp shade that I see her face; she's blonde, very good bone structure and bright blue eyes. Her hair was in a braid – I could've sworn I've met her before.

"Yeah, and it was difficult for you to just wake me up?" I raise my eyebrow.

"Oh yes, because you'd react to _that_ calmly?" She asks.

_Ok maybe I wouldn't._

"Yes and you think lighting yourself up like you're a firework is going to make things better?"

"Well yes, look, you haven't called the police or hit me. So. Yes."

I scratch the back of my hair, accepting my defeat. "Right, well go on. I'm waiting."

She clears her throat, "I can change a lot of things, Gale. To make things better, I mean…"

I laugh "You don't know me at all." I say. She pauses before thinking "How did you come up with this conclusion?"

"Oh you know…" I explain with my hands "unless you can bring people back from the dead, I hardly think things will get _better_. Oh – wait, you're going to tell me you can, aren't you? Well while you're at it, how about you make a blonde baker fall for someone else." I clench my hands into balls in anger. Not at her, I have no reason to. But to myself.

She tilts her head to the left and sighs "I can't do any of that stuff." "Surprise, surprise." I answer in sarcasm. "But I can do something else."

There was a long silence, "Well? Aren't you going to tell me what this 'something else' is? Or are you thinking of a way to scam me? I think I might call the cops now –" She interrupts me "Will you let me talk? Seriously!" I can see it in her eyes that her patience is wearing thin.

"I can… um… I can – I can bring you back into the past. The day of the reaping." And she dropped her voice in a low whisper "I can change things, Gale. I told you. I can change your past. I can re write history."

I make a short uncertain chuckle. "I think you have lost your mind, I am happy to admit you in a psychotic ward if you like."

I thought for certain she was going to rage, but instead remained calm.

I knew. I knew that she knew that I wouldn't believe her.

"Listen, if you don't believe me then – I can tell you everything. Anything you'd like to know. I'm not a fortune-teller though, but I can tell you things that happened in your life in the past." She offered.

I brush it off though "There's probably a load of books about the rebellion. Anybody can do that."

"Well – what about I tell you something that isn't in the books? For example, I know that you like to call Katniss by a nickname sometimes; Catnip."

I straighten up, this was true. But I still don't believe her. "Anybody could've told you that, you could've made that up in the spot. It's not difficult."

She pauses for a while and whispers "I know for a fact that you love Katniss. That you blame yourself for something that isn't your fault. I know that you were the first to volunteer to save Peeta from the Capitol. I know that you ring Katniss everyday just to hear her voice. I know that you put roses on Katniss' sister's grave. I know that –"

But I interrupt her "Okay!" I tell her, my voice breaking "I think you've been stalking me." I say, even though what she said was scary. Frightening that she knew me that well.

This however, made her mad. "I'm trying to help you, Gale! Why don't you just listen? I can bring you back to the past and change everything. And save a lot of lives lost. You know what happened, right? You can kill Coin." _I can save Prim._

I don't talk at all. Silence has entered the room. I don't what to say. Could this be true? Or am I imagining all of this? Where are the proofs that this is true though?

"It is true Gale, but I can't show you anything to convince you. You just have to trust me."

It felt like hours until I found my voice "So what happens when I agree to this agreement, what happens then?"

"Well, I don't have super powers or anything. All I'll be able to do is reverse the time and make it 100% certain that your name will be picked out for the 74th Hunger Games."

But what's the point in that? And before I ask her that question, she answers it. "Well, without Peeta in the picture it does change a lot of things."

"And what about Katniss? Can you make it certain she's not called?" I ask her but she shakes her head "No, Gale."

I hesitate "And me? Will I remember everything? Or will it just be like starting all over again? Me being an absolute monster?"

She shakes her head again; in her eyes I can see she pities me. "You'll remember everything. That's the point you see, Gale. If I send you back to reverse things you'll know what will happen, you know what Coin plans to do because nothing has changed except your mind. It could save a lot of lives."

_I could've never made that bomb._ "No." She says sternly "You have to."

"You don't understand… a girl died because I made it… and that girl…" I stop midway in the sentence; find myself not wanting to finish it.

But the girl nods "I know; you have to understand. If Coin suspects any betrayal on your part then you will end up killed, Gale. You have to make the bomb and then destroy it before it is launched. Destroy it before Coin notices."

I pause for a while. "What if I die?" and I know she wasn't expecting this. The old Gale would've never doubted let alone ask, his survival techniques.

"I'm sure you won't…" she replies but I can sense it in her voice that she doesn't know what would happen then.

"If though. If."

"You won't though!" She says sternly but I'm not letting that go too easily. "Listen to my point of view okay? This random girl just broke into my house, claiming that she can help me, claiming that she can reverse time. She sounds absolutely crazy; insane. And anyone who would believe her would be too. And I'm very close to agreeing because you sound so convincing – but what do I lose? My pride? There is no more. And so, I am asking you – what happens if I die?"

She sighs in defeat and paces around the room a little bit. "Well – if you die, then you die." There was nothing to it. No catch. No angel saving me. Nothing.

This sounds suicidal.

"No, no it doesn't. I'll help you." She replies to me and I raise my eyebrow in confusion "What do you mean?" I ask.

"I'll be in your mind – I can guide you in the steps. Only if I feel that you're completely stuck of course, you need to this on your own."

I nod but don't answer because I have nothing to say. This is my only hope, my one chance to change everything. There is no choice but to go with it. Yes I may die, but it's better to die trying then to die given up right? "So?" she asks, and I know it basically translates to – are you up for it?

_I have to do this._ And before the reply escapes my lips she interrupts me "Think about this Gale – there's a lot of consequences if you agree…"

"Like what?"

"Well… for example, it was Peeta and Katniss' love that spared them and their love was also the symbol of the rebellion. Unless you manage to leave with your partner after the Hunger Games – alive – then starting the rebellion will be hard. Like, who will save all those people you saved from the bombing in District 12? Katniss is not as strong as you, she will not be able to save as much people… the list goes on, Gale. There are too many risks. Like if Katniss falls in love with Peeta while you're in the arena." The girl stops talking but I know she isn't finished. "President Snow might kill you."

For a moment I think about everything she said. Katniss wouldn't do that to me.

Would she?

"She did it once." The girl answers for me.

"Under different circumstances!"

The girl shrugs. And there's nothing to think about. "Okay." I tell her "Okay – I agree to do this."

I feel her face fall a bit, maybe she felt sorry for me that I would do so many things to change the past.

"Are you sure?" she asks and I nod again, this time, convincing myself. This is it. This is my only chance to make everything right again. Maybe get to keep Katniss' friendship and Prim alive. And Madge alive.

She nods, understanding but asks me one more question "Why? If you don't mind me asking… why?"

I don't even think about it. "Because if I do it then I can save so many lives I lost. I could help without causing deaths. I could have Katniss and everyone I care about. Yes, I risk my life. Yes, I could change a lot of things. But if I don't do it, it will be taunting me forever, eating away my soul if I don't do it, it will drive me mad realizing I let a chance like this get away. And besides, what have I go to lose, eh?"

She says something under her breath I can't make out but I can almost guess she was saying "Your life"

"Well, all you have to do is sleep and when you wake up – it will be back to the day of the Reaping."

For a moment, I think if this is all fake – if my imagination is getting the best of me. If my mind is playing tricks on me. But it seems so real so I forget about it instantly.

"But wait – how do I know you're not scamming me? How do I know that when I sleep you aren't going to steal my stuff or something?"

She smiles in amusement. "Trust me." And before she disappears into thin air she says "I don't blame you for my death, Gale. The reason I'm doing this is because I don't want you to wallow yourself in guilt. Katniss doesn't blame you anymore, Gale. You've distanced yourself from everyone. They all want you back. I know by saying this I may have changed your decision. But don't worry; I understand. And so, if you want to back out say the word 'Nightlock' three times."


End file.
